Oct 31, 2007

The neighborhood makes "Crosscut"

Seen on the online-only newspaper, Crosscut.com: ("news of the great nearby"):

The East Madison 'ghetto island' is lost to — libertarians?

I fear he's referring to the large "Ron Paul" sign which has been despoiling the "Fratelli's Cows" mural for a while (and which I would happily help you remove).

Central Neighborhood Fall Plant Exchange 11/3/07

The Central Neighborhood Fall Plant Exchange will be on Saturday, November 3rd from 10am -2pm at the Copymaster parking lot on the SE corner of 20th & E Union. There is the covered entry so we can be out of the rain if necessary.

It's all free - if you have plant knowledge, plants or garden gear to get rid of, come share. If you need plants, knowledge or garden gear, come get it.

We could use some staffing volunteers for two-hour shifts - it's very light duty.

Pass it on, the more the merrier!

See you there.

Rose Pike
Sonja Richter
Lynda Finch
Jean Tinnea

Oct 30, 2007

A possible BOO!

Oct 29, 2007

Neighborhood Police/Public Officials honored

I was at the Seattle Police Foundation's Annual Awards Banquet last Friday.

The Chief's Award was presented to Ellen O'Neill-Stephens, who worked so hard with us on our Madison Street issues. She was there with her family and Jeeter the dog, all of whom we've met at neighborhood cleanups.

(click image for readable copy)

Also honored was Detective Kim Bogucki, who was our Community Police Team Officer for a couple of years, back when we were starting our Friday night walks on Madison.(click image for readable copy)

Finally, those of you with a long history in the neighborhood may remember Detective Robert Shilling, who's been in charge of the sex offender unit for many years. We met him when we were concerned about a house full of sex offenders in our neughborhood (see page 2 of this Spring 1996 "Miller Times").

(click image for readable copy)

Please join me in congratulating them on their awards, and thanking them for all their hard work on our behalf.

Oct 26, 2007

Adopt a drain -- or just help keep them clear

(stolen from Capitolhillnews)
It's that time of year when the leaves combine with the rain and create clogged drains around town. Even on top of our hill there can be problems with puddling. What can you do? The City of Seattle has organized a program called Adopt a Drain where you can sign-up and then be the recipient of tools to help keep your designated drain/s clear.

Learn more and sign up via the City's website at:
http://tinyurl.com/35porl

Even if you don't want to commit to be a fully designated storm drain steward, feel free to help keep area drains clear and flowing.

"Volunteers are only asked to remove the matted leaves from the tops of the drains. If the drain is still clogged even after you’ve removed the matting, then call our drainage problem hotline at (206) 386-1800 to report it. Do not try to unclog the drain. Removing matting is safe, but clearing out a deep clog requires special expertise."

For More Information
The Adopt A Street/Drain team is ready to help you with your questions, please call the 24-hour hotline at (206) 684-7647 and leave a message or e-mail adoptastreet@seattle.gov .

Oct 25, 2007

Halloween Photo-op


Those of you wandering Capitol Hill in ghoulish outfits might care to look in the alley just east of Director's Service, 526 - 19th Ave E. , just south of Kingfish.

There you will find a lovely embalming table.......... (at least I presume that's what it is).


"So come up to the lab and see what's on the slab."

Will your pictures be eligible for the CHS: Capitol Hill Seattle Halloween photo award? I guess you'll find out.

PS: Is it an "attractive nuisance"?

Come to the Twilight Exit for "Happiest Hour"

From the Stranger's "Happiest Hour" feature we learn about the last call ritual at the Twilight:

Blood-curdling "last call" evacuation tactics: The bouncer's occasional revving and waving of a (bladeless) chainsaw.

Here's the review, and here are links to the Twilight's menu, and here are many Stranger mentions of the Twilight!

Despite the address given (2200 block E. Madison), one might presume that this Capitol Hill Times Police Log report may be about the Twilight.

Oct 22, 2007

2051 E Madison St Design Review info

The City Department of Planning and Development (DPD) is now posting more information about the Design Review of building projects on their website.

Here is the Design Review Early Design Guidance report, and the applicant's very informative slide show, from the first (9/19/07) Design Review hearing for Jim Mueller's East Madison Street project. (BTW here's the report for his 23rd/Union project).

Here's what I previously reported about the meeting, together with some pictures of the architectural model of the project.

There will be at least one more similar meeting, in the coming months, at which you can offer your guidance.

CADA retreat: your comments please on our presentation

Recall that we were invited to take part in the Central Area Development Association's annual retreat on Saturday October 27th.

Heidi Ob'bayi has kindly volunteered to accompany me (Andrew Taylor) and Jim Mueller (who's planning developments on Madison and on Union) may be able to attend.

Please take a look at my draft of our presentation, and comment as appropriate. It's also never to late to volunteer to attend.

Many thanks.

Oct 18, 2007

Volunteers needed for Miller C. C.'s Creepy Carnival

Date: Friday, October 26th
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Miller Community Center
330th 19th Ave E
Seattle WA 98112
Phone:206-684-4753
Admission is FREE!!!

Volunteers are needed to operate the 25 game booths! Please contact Zoom at zoom.piksa@seattle.gov or 206-684-4753, if you are interested in volunteering.

Bid farewell to Lake Denny

This persistent puddle (outside the Madison Inn work release house at 21st & Denny) has been named "Lake Denny" by 21st Ave resident Richard Samuel, who has been campaigning for the City to deal with it for many months now. It appears after the smallest rain and remains for many months, getting several feet wide, and making it impossible to cross the street.
We've mentioned it to City officials on every possible occasion, notably the Mayor's visit this Spring, but to no effect till recently.
I showed it to Ted Divina (Central Area Department of Neighborhoods supervisor) at the last MADCAP cleanup and things finally started happening. They report:
"FYI: I just spoke to the crew chief who was out to inspect this site on 10/10 and they cleaned out the clogged drains and have requested that a new 'drain box' be installed there which will resolve the flooding problems."

Thanks to Richard and Ted for keeping at it and helping to keep our feet dry.

Oct 16, 2007

Central Area summit: care to volunteer?

The Central Area Development Association (see this summary of what they do) has invited our neighborhood to participate in their October 27th annual retreat. Here (in part) is what they ask:

Dear Miller Park Neighborhood Association,

The Central Area Development Association (CADA) is pleased to invite you to participate in the morning session of its annual retreat on Saturday, October 27th. We are soliciting your opinions of and vision for the future of the Central Area in a process to identify where and how CADA can best contribute to the development of the community.

As a community-based development association we rely upon your input and participation. It is not only a critical component to CADA’s mission and philosophy but to the Central Area’s health as a whole.

We ask that you review the following and then identify at least two individuals you believe will best represent your group at the retreat. Please have them come prepared to provide us with the following information as a consensus of your group:

  • A brief history of the group - no more than 2 minutes
  • Opinion of the Central Area as they see it today in regards to housing, economic development, education, crime, arts, opportunity, etc.
  • Current focus of the group - short-term (up to 12 months) and long-term (12 months and beyond)
  • Top two things the group would like to see accomplished in "their" area and how it would benefit the entire Central Area.
Note: please don't limit the 'kind' of things you'd like to see happen. Although CADA's primary line of business is affordable housing and CADA may not be the organization that fulfills your vision, we do partner with and delegate to other organizations in our efforts to revitalize the Central Area.

Please provide us with a written copy of your talking/bullet points. You may send this with your reply or give it to us at the retreat. As there will be potentially eight to ten groups attending, each group will have 15 minutes to speak and there will be a timekeeper to ensure that everyone is heard.

I'd be happy to volunteer (if you agree) and am writing to invite you to join (or replace) me. Drop me a note by Friday (Send to me: tayles@jps.net) with your contact info and I'll send it on to CADA. We could get together this weekend and work on the talking points they suggest.

As resources to think about what to say, I remind you of the Central Area's neighborhood planning efforts in the late 90's which resulted both in a general plan for the area and in a specific plan for the Madison-Miller area (see right side of blog page; "Madison-Miller Neighborhood Plan"). See links in this post for more background info.

Oct 14, 2007

Proposal to eliminate parking requirement in urban villages

I told you recently (http://tinyurl.com/yoplrf ) about the City's plan to change the zoning code in our multifamily areas (your input needed at a meeting on Monday 10/15/07, 5:30 PM, City Hall).

On the City's webpage about the proposed changes ( http://tinyurl.com/36o4pj ) you can learn about the proposed changes [my comments in brackets]. Main points:

2. Reduce number of zones by consolidating the existing L3 and L4 zones to make a new LR3 zone [Much of our area is presently L3 or L4].

8. Eliminate parking requirements in urban centers, urban villages, and station areas, and reduce parking requirements in other areas (consistent with changes in commercial areas). [YEP, THAT'S US: We're in an urban village]

From John Rahaim (SPD Planning Director):

Hello Andrew. Sorry for this mistake. Like the Neighborhood Commercial zones, we are proposing to eliminate the parking requirement only in Urban Centers and transit areas, and to lower-- but not eliminate -- the requirement in Urban Villages. We will clarify this tonight at the open house.

Thanks for your sharp eye on this.

John

Oct 11, 2007

Building Code changes in the neighborhood: be heard!

(click on map for bigger version, or make your own)

Our City's building code rules are complicated and dull, but they do affect how our neighborhood looks and works. Things are changing and now is the time to find out and let the City know your thoughts.

Zoning in one paragraph:

The proposed changes to the multifamily zones can be seen on the City website, or you can go to a workshop on Monday evening (10/15/07, 5:30 PM, City Hall) to learn about them, get your questions answered and have your views recorded. It's our chance to help guide the future of much of our neighborhood.

Oct 8, 2007

Volunteers needed to help "Chicks Play Hard"


Chicks Play Hard is a volunteer-run, non profit organization that strives to build self-confidence in girls by providing them with a nurturing environment to try different activities and develop self expression. Girls ages 9 to 13 participate in workshops led by high school students who are, in turn, mentored by women experts (that's you!). The event encourages the girls to try new and diverse things, learn from positive female role models and-most importantly- have fun.
(modified from www.chicksplayhard.org)
Chicks Play Hard 2007 is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27, at Miller Community Center on Capitol Hill. We are seeking female volunteers (incl. high schoolers in need of community service credits) and are also open for registration for girls ages 9 to 13. This marks the first year that Chicks, an all-volunteer and free event, is officially collaborating with Seattle Parks & Recreation on the event, which will take place from 11 am to 4 pm. Classes lined up so far include creative arts, combat theatre, boxing and writing. We have tentatives for songwriting and we're also looking into rock climbing. Double dutch, a crowd favorite, may again rear its head. The new UW women's basketball coach, Tia Jackson, will serve as our keynote/kick off speaker. Please visit the Chicks Web site (www.chicksplayhard.org) or send an email with "volunteer" in the subject line to chicksplayhard@gmail.com You may also contact co-organizer Mary Guiden directly at MKGSeattle@aol.com

Oct 7, 2007

Calendar and blog updates

New on Miller blog

****************************************************
Coming soon on Miller calendar
( details at http://ical.mac.com/andrew_taylor/Miller )

  • Wednesday, October 10, 5:00pm Council Budget Hearing
  • Wednesday, October 10, 7:00pm Miller Community Center Advisory Council
  • Thursday, October 11, 6:00pm Central Area Neighborhood District Council
  • Friday, October 12, 4:00pm Madrona/MLK Farmers' Market
  • Saturday, October 13, 2:00pm Bike repair self-help
  • Saturday, October 13, 4:00pm Airstream dining at the Bottleneck
  • Saturday, October 13, 9:00pm Capitol Hill Street Sweep
  • Sunday, October 14, 11:00am Broadway Farmer's Market

Local election forums, live and recorded

November 6th is Election Day. The Seattle Times and the P-I weighed in today (10/7/07) on their choices for City Council. They agreed on Harrell, Burgess, Godden & Clark.

You need not take their word for it - below are a couple of great neighborhood resources to help you, as well as the online Seattle Voters' Guide, with links to candidates' web pages.

***See the candidates debate on video ***

The City Neighborhood Council's fifth biennial City Council candidate forum, which was held on Sept. 21, is now on the Seattle Channel web site at http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=5550712

It is 90 minutes long, and features lively exchanges between all nine candidates, responding to one another's questions and those posed by a neighborhood panel consisting of Pablo Lambinicio (Westwood), Grover Haynes (Lakewood-Seward Park), Catherine Stanford (Downtown); and Cheryl Klinker (Lake City).


*** See the candidates in person***
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 7-9:30 p.m.--City Council and School Board candidate forum

Join the Eastlake Community Council at its candidate forum to hear directly from the candidates for City Council and School Board. At 7 p.m. (At TOPS Seward School) we hold the ECC's annual meeting and elections. And then, we're proud to announce that ALL of the City Council and School Board candidates are scheduled to attend.

We invite you to submit questions via e-mail to president@eastlakeseattle.org
Please identify your name and which candidate you would like the question to be asked of. We cannot guarantee that all submitted questions will be posed to candidates due to tight time constraints.

Where: Library of TOPS/Seward School (enter from courtyards)
2500 Franklin Ave. East Seattle WA 98102

When: Tuesday October 9th 2007 - Doors open 6:30pm - Forum 7:00pm – 9:30pm

Introductions:
7:00 – 7:10 Eastlake Community Council Annual meeting and elections


City Council Forum:
7:10 – 7:20 Tom Rasmussen (City Council Position 5)
7:20 – 7:35 Jean Godden – Joe Szwaja (City Council Position 1)
7:35- 7:50 Venus Velazquez – Bruce Harrell (City Council Position 3)
7:50 –8:05 David Della – Tim Burgess (City Council Position 7)
8:05 -8:20 Sally Clark – Judy Fenton (City Council Position 9)

Ballot Measure Forum:
8:20 -8:35 Regional Transportation Investment District (RTID)
“Yes on Roads” Andrew Richardson
“NoProp1” Fran Conley and Ted Lane

School Board Forum:
8:35 – 8:50 1st School Board Debate
8:50 – 9:05 2nd School Board Debate
9:05 – 9:15 3rd School Board Debate
9:15 – 9:30 4th School Board Debate

Bottleneck + Airstream = Dinner

Next Saturday ( 10/13/07, 6 - 9 PM) the Bottleneck Lounge on Madison will host a seemingly improbable event: an Airstream trailer that doubles as a mobile restaurant.

Both the Stranger and the P-I approve. Will you?

And will the brakes hold on the hill, or will you have to chase your dinner down to Madison Park?